


please don't go, i'll eat you whole (i love you so)

by deargalileo



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Cuddling & Snuggling, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Suicidal Tendencies, mentions of child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-06 06:55:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21222431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deargalileo/pseuds/deargalileo
Summary: Reginald had always restricted their media intake- there were no TVs in the house, and even when they left the house on missions there was few opportunities that they had to go on the internet, or talk to civilians. But even then, the children of the Umbrella Academy knew about soulmates.The story of Klaus Hargreeves, soulmate marks, and just an overall shitty week.(soulmate au where your soulmate's name is written on your wrist)





	please don't go, i'll eat you whole (i love you so)

**Author's Note:**

> love this duo.  
warnings for slight and vague reference to self harm, jokes about suicide, and canon typical death.  
title from breezeblocks by alt-j

Reginald had always restricted their media intake- there were no TVs in the house, and even when they left the house on missions there was few opportunities that they had to go on the internet, or talk to civilians. Allison managed to steal herself a cell phone at one point when she was 15, but that had spotty reception at best (plus, who would she even text? Her only other friends lived in the same house as her). But even then, the children of the Umbrella Academy knew about soulmates.

Maybe it was Grace who had tell them stories of how the one that their soul was tied to another’s, and that their meant to be’s name would appear on their wrist.  _ When the time is right, _ she would say, but none of them missed how she would purposely would tailor their sleeves longer than necessary, how Reginald would change the subject when asked questions about their soulmates during their countless interviews, the baby book that Klaus found in the dumpster outside while looking for things to pawn off that had a  _ soulmate’s name _ section in it.

Klaus never really found himself to care- if anything, he tried to go out of his way to not think about the potential of soulmates. And he didn’t have a name on his wrist, nor did any of his siblings, so he was fine. Allison would complain about it at times, but Klaus saw the way that her and Luther were around each other- they had each other, that was obvious.

Although Klaus couldn’t care less, Ben did. Mistake number one: Ben believed. Ben wanted to know of a life outside of the academy, he wanted to believe that there was something else for him, something other than living in a tentacle porn video gone wrong every other day. 

One early morning, Ben came into Klaus’ room, waking him unceremoniously by flopping on his brother’s sleeping chest.

After Klaus was properly woken up, and threats of a violent and painful death were ignored, Ben made his request.

“Ask Dad about soulmates? Please. Ask him why we don’t have the marks.” Klaus groaned, dropping his head back onto the pillow.

“This shit again? You know what he’s going to say. That we are ‘special’ and that we have a greater purpose in this world than something frivolous like love.” Klaus mocked his father’s voice, making Ben groan. 

“That’s what he says when I ask, because Allison and I are the only ones who are willing to find out. And if I say anything about it again, he will get mad- remember last time?” Klaus frowned. 

He sat up, pushing Ben off of his chest. Ben obliged but stayed on the bed. He did remember last time- it wasn’t pretty. When Ben had asked about soulmates for the trillionth time in their lifespan only a few months ago, Dad blew up and started yelling about how weak Ben was, how he was soft. It was harsh.

“Fine. But you owe me- big time.” Klaus grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Because while Ben made mistake number one, which was believing, Klaus made mistake number two; Klaus cared about his brother.

Klaus then landed a solid kick on Ben’s side, successfully kicking him off of the bed, listening as Ben fall with a loud  _ thunk.  _ He laughed, and rolled over in bed, pulling the blanket back over his body. He cared about Ben, but he also cared about sleep.

A few hours and more complaints from Ben later, Klaus casually strolled into the den, where he knew that Reginald would be found. Ben hovered in the hallway, behind one of the archways.

“Daddy-o, why don’t we have soulmate marks?” With him, it was always best to get right to the point. Dad hated small talk. Reginald showed no sign of being startled by his sudden appearance and continued to read the paper. Had he not responded, Klaus would have thought that his father did not hear him.

“I do not deem this question worthy of an answer, Number Four. You have heard this quite enough from me telling your brothers and sister.” Klaus turned around, ready to be done with this, but Ben caught his gaze from across the room, motioning him back. Inwardly, he sighed. The things he did for his brother.

“But  _ why _ don’t we have anything on our wrists? Does it have to do with our abilities?” Reginald slightly lowered the newspaper, which was probably the extent of his attention that Klaus was going to receive.

“There is no need for that. The six of you have a higher purpose.” Somewhere else in the house, there was a mournful violin note. That would be Vanya. She seemed to always know when Dad was ignoring her. Maybe that was her hidden power.

“But Dad-“

“But nothing. You shouldn’t be focusing your time on ridiculous things like love, or soulmates. Your duty is to protect the world, and when the time comes for you and your siblings to do so, you will not want to be tangled up in things like love, relationships, or worse, other people.”

“Dad-“

“End of conversation, Nmber Four. Go to your room and practice. I want you to be able to conjure people just by hearing their name by this evening.”

“But that’s impossible!”

“End of conversation.” Reginald lifted the newspaper back up, and Klaus stomped back to where Ben was hiding.

“That was a bust.” Ben clearly was disappointed, but still smiled at Klaus, and shrugged.

“It’s okay. You tried your best, though. Thanks for that.” Klaus grinned and gave Ben a playful punch on the shoulder.

And then, Ben died.

Well, not at that minute, but all too soon the alarm blasted, signifying there was a bank or museum or whatever to save, and Klaus had to stay home because he was high, and what use would he even be anyway? Yeah, let him talk to a fucking dead person while everyone else tries to fight or whatever.

But he was at home, waiting for the others to get home, because he found a really cool new hidey-hole, and although they weren’t kids anymore it would be fun to have a place that their dad didn’t know about, right?

Klaus was sitting on his bed alone, staring at the wall, counting the seconds. He had run out of his weed, and didn’t have the money to get any more, so he was destined to spend the new few hours alone and bored out of his mind until everyone got home.

Klaus was sitting on his bed alone, until he wasn’t.

“W-wha-“ Klaus let out a shriek, scrambling back, ghouls usually didn’t just come up like this, but- “Ben?”

“Klaus?” His brother was standing across the room from him, still in his umbrella academy suit, but with blood covering his body. That wasn’t uncommon, that was kind of his thing, but this was different. Ben seemed paler, less… There. “What’s going on?”

“No- nononono-“ Klaus stumbled off of the bed, rushing towards his brother, only to run right through him. “No! Fuck! You were one of the good ones, you were supposed to make it out, you-“ Ben watched him, scared as Klaus frantically waved his arms through the space where his brother’s body was.

Klaus doesn’t remember the details of that mission, he doesn’t remember the now-three fighters returning home. He doesn’t remember the next missions after that either, but that didn’t really matter, did it? It didn’t matter because Ben was dead but he wasn’t gone, because he was hanging behind Klaus’ shoulder, silently disapproving as Klaus shot up with every drug he could get in his hands.

Vanya was right- it was after’s Ben’s death that the family began to fracture, the thin spiderweb cracks only opening even more. First Vanya left, and that only proved what they had all been thinking. They were already strangers living together, but Vanya was the strangest of them all.

Then Allison left, and Luther refused to leave his room, but when he did, he had thrown himself even more into the leadership role. Diego and Luther fought constantly, and Klaus discovered an exciting new array of drugs, and things to shoot into his bloodstream. The main purpose of this was to get away, but as each new drug pushed him further and further from all of the spirits that haunt his dreams- all but one. Ben. And with each new drug, the frown on his face grew deeper and deeper.

So, Klaus decided that it was his turn to leave. It was his time for a dramatic exit, wasn’t it?

It wasn’t as much of a scene as he would have liked it to be- Klaus found what valuables he could steal from dear old Pops so he could pawn something. He considered leaving a note for his remaining siblings, but if he was being honest with himself, no one would even notice that he was gone.

He slipped out through the front door, just narrowly missing Mom as she cleaned the front room for the millionth time. Klaus couldn’t remember the last time he had walked through these doors without it being on a mission. Whenever he had snuck out, he had left through a window, or a back door. This, for some reason, felt more final. More real.

Klaus, with a joint hanging between his lips, left the place that he had lived in his whole life for the actual world, leaving his home for what he assumed would be his last time. Dad had made no effort to try and find or bring back the others, so why would this be any different?

This would be good for him, a chance to get out into the real world-

But the moment that Klaus stepped past the gates, an almost searing pain erupted across his left wrist. He gasped, dropping the bag that held his few possessions, and the things that he was planning on pawning. Klaus winced- both at the sudden pain and at the potential of him breaking things that could have earned him drug money.

Scrambling to push back his sleeve, Klaus’ mouth gaped open, letting the joint fall to the ground, and sizzle out on the still rainy sidewalk.

There was a name- a fucking  _ name _ \- on his wrist. In thick, black letters, the name on his wrist read ‘ ** _DAVE_ ** ’.

Klaus’ honest to God first reaction was: “Who the fuck names their kids Dave anymore? That’s outdated as shit.”

“Woah.” Ben came into view, stepping to peer at the new addition to Klaus’ body. Klaus was suddenly aware of the fact that he was still standing directly outside the academy, maybe an inch past the gate. Shrugging his sleeve back down, Klaus grabbed his bag and moved down the street.

Ben didn’t seem to get the memo that Klaus was not in the mood to talk about what had happened, at least just not right then. Or maybe Ben did, and was just choosing to ignore it. Their relationship ever since Ben had died and reappeared as a ghost to Klaus has been strained, to say the least.

Who can blame them, though? It’s not like they came from the most loving family, and there isn’t exactly a handbook on how to talk to your brother now that he is dead and a really annoying ghost. But they were trying their best, and frankly, Klaus is glad that it is Ben stuck with him, rather than it being Diego- or worse, Luther. God. Luther would be such an annoying spirit to follow him around.

Regardless, Ben was clearly not going to let this go. “How did you get a name? I thought they appeared at birth and that was it.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we aren’t really the normal type.”

“Yeah, I know, but still. Who do you think it is?” Klaus sneered, and pulled his cardigan around himself tighter.

“Who?” Klaus played dumb, maybe more for his own sake than Ben’s. 

“The name on your wrist.”

“Yo’ mama.” Klaus gave a weak chuckle at his own attempt at a joke, but Ben only rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, seeing how the only people I’ve interacted with my whole life have been criminals, the occasional drug dealer and my family.”

“So you are going to meet someone named Dave.”

“But who the fuck names their kid Dave anyway? Isn’t that child abuse in this day and age?” Ben snorted. “Seriously, let it go. First things first, I need to find a place to sleep tonight.”

“You didn’t come up with that before you left?”

Klaus shrugged, and pulled a cigarette out of his back pocket. Lighting it, he prayed that the rain wouldn’t set it out. Was that a possibility? He really hadn’t been out much. As he walked away from the Umbrella Academy, Klaus made sure not to look back. He was done. 

~*~

And time went on, as it did. Klaus moved from man to man to even the occasional woman, from rehab to rehab, mostly only to have a place to sleep. He kept his wrist covered up- not that it really mattered. 

And eventually, six years since he left the academy for the last time went by.

Currently, Klaus was on the receiving end of some very mediocre sex from a guy named ‘Edward’, but he introduced himself as “Edd. Two d’s.” Anyone who says shit like that must have a small dick, and surprise, surprise, Klaus’ intuition was correct like usual.

But Edd had offered his couch up in return for sex, and who was Klaus to refuse? He was slightly more than desperate to get off the streets for a night. It was worth the little dick sex (seriously, this dude refused to let Klaus top. Geesh. Men).

¨Hey, I just found something interesting about soulmates.” Oh yeah. Ben was there too. 

Instinctively, Klaus glanced down at his wrist. He had stripped his shirt when Edd had, but he thankfully had enough bands on his wrist that there was no sign of the dark ink. 

There seemed to be a whole market of men just like him, all of which who didn’t want to really find their soulmate, but Klaus assumed they that a majority were just cheating on whoever they thought was actually their soulmate. 

That was one thing that Klaus had picked up on about soulmates. It was a common problem for people to meet someone with the name of their soulmate, and just assume that they were meant to be without checking. This was another reason why Klaus didn't like the concept of soulmates, because every time he gave a fake name to do something, there was always at least one lonely soul trying to convince them both of them that they were meant to be. 

̈Turns out they are much more fluid in recent generations,” Ben continued. Klaus let his eyes roll to the back of his head, more annoyed at his brother than at Edd. Speaking of, Edd heaved a gasp and rolled off of Klaus, smiling, seemingly satisfied. 

Klaus was not drunk enough for this. Ben was sitting on the couch across from Klaus and his partner (who was mumbling something, but Klaus couldn’t be damned to figure out what). Seeing that the coast was clear, Ben turned around to face Klaus.

Over time, Ben had aged with Klaus, physically at least. He had traded his bloodstained uniform for a leather jacket and hoodie, and now looked to be the same age as Klaus. It was strange, yes, but they had just mutually decided not to speak of it. 

“What do you mean, fluid?” Edd looked at him, but Klaus ignored him. Ben smiled, clearly excited to talk about this- soulmate marks was Ben’s new passion project now that his brother had one. 

“They aren’t always just, ‘one name on your wrist at birth that stays the same regardless of anything’. Sometimes they change, or they appear later in life. Platonic soulmates are a thing too.” 

“Really.” Klaus wasn’t all that interested, but hey- what the hell. He had nothing better to do. 

“Uh- I didn’t say anything?” Edd piped in, now looking confused. Klaus waved him off.

“Yeah. In some cases, when someone’s soulmate dies, their mark disappears too.” 

“Must fucking suck for them.” 

“But you still got your mark?” Ben asked, looking pointedly at Klaus’ arm. Klaus shifted uncomfortably, eyes flicking down to make sure that it was still covered. One of the rubber bands had moved out of place, revealing half of a ‘A’ and the bottom part of the ‘V’. 

He slid the band back in its place. 

~*~

Klaus went from couch to couch, rehab to rehab, fucking different men and the occasional woman facelessly just for a place to sleep, a way to earn some quick cash. Ben never approved, of course he didn’t, but Klaus was never clean enough to let Ben do anything about it. 

Ben did keep on with his facts about soulmate marks, and Klaus unwillingly found himself to be an expert on them. God, sometimes it was like Ben was  _ driving  _ Klaus to do drugs. They figured out especially in cases with children, soulmate marks were flexible- more prone to changes. 

Ben made the point that considering how fluid soulmate marks are with the addition of Klaus’ strange state of being (coming from a family of superheroes) could be the reason why his soulmate mark didn’t show up until he left. 

This meant there was a chance that his siblings had marks on their wrists, too, but Klaus wasn’t about to go and find out. He heard that Luther was went up to the moon at some point last year, and Allison starred in some Oscar-winning movies. Diego had more or less disappeared into the shadows. 

Klaus and Ben watched one of those movies. Klaus had snuck in through the emergency exit ten minutes into the movie, and spent half of the time trying to find someone who would be so kind to spare some popcorn for a poor handsome hungry young man such as he.  _ Seriously, why were movie ticket prices so high? _

The movie itself was pretty good- Allison’s hours spent in front of the mirror practicing monologues seemed to pay off. 

Vanya had released the book a couple years back, the one that dragged her family through the mud- which was probably warranted. The only sibling that actually acknowledged her outside of obligatory hello’s in the hallway was Five, and he got out of the house early on. 

Ben claimed to have read the book, but Klaus has yet to see him hold anything material in his hands, let alone a 200-paged hardcover book. 

Thinking of Vanya wasn’t actually something he preferred to dwell on though, much like most topics concerning his childhood. He should have been nicer, yes, he should have reached out to her more, yes, but what the hell was regretting anything going to do at this point? His upbringing was full of mistakes and shit, meaning Klaus learned pretty quickly on to leave that behind him, in that damn house. 

Then Dad died. So the family all went back to good ol’ home, where Klaus immediately pillaged his office for anything that he could pawn off- the old man owed him that much. Allison caught him in the act instantly, then Luther came in and did his whole thing. Besides from Luther suddenly beefing up, not much had changed. 

Klaus had tried to hide his flinch when Allison had grabbed his wrist, looking at his rehab bracelet. It just happened to cover the name on his wrist  _ thank God,  _ but it was still jarring. 

He was able to sneak a peek at her wrist though- nothing. She might have covered it up with makeup but who knows? Maybe he was the only one, but Klaus wasn’t exactly itching to find out anytime soon.

Everyone just seemed older. And angier. Even sweet little Vanya had grown a cold outer layer, but who could really blame her? 

Luther made it clear that he was still the  _ leader  _ of the team, whatever team that might be. Accusations of murder were thrown about, and all Klaus could think about was getting his next fix.

La, da, da, da, he couldn’t summon Dad, Five came back, Diego and Luther fought. Good old times, just like nothing had changed. 

~*~

Getting kidnapped and tortured wasn’t any fun. This was not the way that Klaus had intended to get clean, with dead people surrounding him and Ben making snarky remarks from the bed. 

“She doesn’t have a soulmate mark, but look- the guy does.” Ben commented from his sprawled out position. Klaus glared at him. He was bound to an uncomfortable chair with ropes digging into his skin, in nothing but a damn towel that was currently slipping down very uncomfortably. 

The captors that Ben was talking about were arguing not so subtly in the kitchenette, hissing words back and forth about the “Commission” and something about a boy or whatever, they were probably arguing about Five. And Klaus had been a very good brother, he had not given up any information- not that he had been deemed worthy enough to trust with any information in the first place. 

“And why- pray tell, dear brother, would I care?” His neck was cramping up, meaning he certainly was not in the mood to try and crane it around in search of soulmate marks. "I thought you were over that kind of stuff, anyway." 

Ben huffed, making it clear that Klaus was not seeing the point that Ben was making. 

"No- I mean, she doesn't have a soulmate mark. And there's no cover-up on it, and it isn't faded in any way. She just doesn't have a soulmate mark, just like us-"

"Ben, is there a point-" Klaus was cut off by a shoe hitting him in the head.

"Shut the fuck up," The woman called from across the hotel room. "I'm getting fuckin' tired of hearing you yap to yourself." Then, to her partner, "How did we manage to snag the crazy one?" 

Ben gave up on the whole soulmate mark thing, which gave Klaus a momentary feeling of relief. Yeah, being waterboarded was a bitch, but talking about soulmates? Talk about real torture. 

Twenty minutes later, Klaus mentally retract that statement. Trying to get clean while being tortured was the worst, the absolute fucking worst. Ghosts and various spirits crowded around him, all wailing for Klaus to find their soulmate, tell them whatever bullshit message that they had. 

Some amount of time later (who had time to keep time, Klaus was trying to escape with his life currently, thank you very much), Klaus was trying to shove his body through an air-vent, awkwardly pushing the briefcase in front of him to make way. Seriously, who needs a briefcase this big? And why was it in the vent? Why the fuck was  _ he _ in the vent?

Gunshots fired behind him, making Klaus flinch violently. Oh, right. Imminent death, gotta keep moving.

~*~

Now, scratch everything that Klaus had complained about previously. Because now he was in the middle of the fucking Vietnam war, still wearing nothing but a goddamn towel, and a extremely handsome man was leaning over him with a confused look on his face. Plus, Ben was nowhere to be seen.

So yeah, this might be worse than being bothered with soulmate shit by his brother.

~*~

The handsome man's name was Dave, Klaus soon learned. The briefcase was bouncing along him on the floor of the bus, but the second that his hand clasped Handsome Dave's, Klaus found himself slowly sliding it further underneath his seat. Because yeah, it was totally a coincidence that Handsome Dave had the same name that Klaus bore on his wrist, but maybe this whole war thing would be some character building shit. Or something like that. 

~*~

They were sitting out in the field behind their camp, in the middle of the night. Of course not everyone was asleep, some men gathered around the campfire at night to trade stories of the war, trade stories of home, but Dave and him had slipped away to sit amongst the long grass and stare at the stars. 

As their shoulders brushed up against each others, Klaus smiled. They were truly one of the worst kept secrets of their unit, Brooks and Lorenzo exchanging weighty glances at each other as Dave fumbled outside after Klaus, mumbling excuses about needing to go take a piss and- Klaus couldn’t stand to think of Lorenzo when Dave was leaning closer and-

“ _ Tell me a secret, _ ” Dave whispered into his ear, his fingers delicately grazing the skin behind Klaus’s ear. Klaus fought back a shudder, trying to hardest not to spill out his soul to the man sitting next to him right now. Say anything but the fact that you have powers, say anything but the fact that you come from the future, say anything but- 

“My dad used to beat me-” He felt Dave take a sharp inhale, like someone had punched him in the stomach. “well, me and siblings,” Klaus finished hastily. Talk about a mood killer. He knew it wasn’t what Dave had expected, but he knew all about Dave’s family: his loving and doting mother who lived in Vermont, his older and younger sisters who sent him letters just about every other day, his father who Dave was very close too until he died of cancer. His upbringing wasn’t all happy sunshine, but which gay man had a completely happy upbringing in the 1950’s and 60’s? 

“He-” Dave moved closer to him, inching his hand around Klaus’s waist like he could protect Klaus from harm just like that. Klaus tried to keep his eyes on the stars above, but couldn’t help a laugh from coming out, shaking his head. 

“Yeah. Not exactly what you expected, huh?”  _ Just wait till you hear the rest of it.  _

“No- Klaus, I’m sorry.” Even as he said that, Dave sounded regretful. In a flash, Klaus saw how Dave understood. Not understood, being abused is not the most relatable experience, but Klaus heard it in his voice, how much he wished that he could have done something, the underlying anger, the mournfulness, but no pity. "And your siblings?"

Dave only knew the bare essentials of Klaus's childhood- the cliffnotes of the cliffnotes, after someone went through and took out all of the essential plot points like how they were sold as babies, about how they had powers, about how they were at one point crime fighting superheros- you know, that stuff. 

Klaus shrugged. "He was never really suited for fatherhood. Sure, he had his favorites, and I was never that, but sometimes it felt like it was easier for me to take the brunt than one of my sisters, right?" And that was true- given the choice, Klaus would rather Reginald set hellfire upon him if that is what it took to protect his family. 

The stars shone bright, and the moon cast light down on them, so when Klaus turned his head he could see Dave’s blond eyelashes, he could see every emotion that was displayed on the fellow man’s face. As soon as they locked eyes, Klaus found himself leaning in, he saw Dave doing the same, and when their lips met, Klaus felt his whole body relax. 

This wasn’t the first time that they had kissed- no, not at all. And Klaus prayed with every fiber in him that it wouldn’t be the last time. He tilted his head back as Dave cupped his face, the warmth of his hand, the warmth of his lips, the warmth of another human making Klaus forget the chill out of the outside. 

Klaus- in this moment, felt safe. But not safe in the way that he felt warm and cozy. Klaus felt like Dave had cut him open, peered into his body, his polluted blood, into his soul. Klaus felt raw, like all of his nerves had been fried. And this, in some weird twisted way, made him feel safe. Like Dave was the only one who was allowed to see him, truly see him, because he knew Dave would keep his secrets. 

There hadn’t been any other person in this life, besides Ben who Klaus has been able to trust like this. Maybe Diego came close, but that was it. And for the first time in a long time, Klaus wanted to trust, he wanted Dave to know who he was, just like how he wanted to know who Dave is. 

His wrist stung right where a certain someone’s name was written as they pulled away. 

Before he knew what he was doing, Klaus was hastily pulling out a piece of scrap paper and a pen. He had stuffed both into his jacket’s pocket a day or two ago, trying to get the nerve up to ask Dave the question he knew he wanted to ask. 

And time was running out- Klaus wasn’t an idiot, he knew how war went. His naive and hopeful dreams of getting out and living a sweet and precious life in an apartment were just that- dreams. There would be no third floor apartment with two cats and a precarious number of houseplants.

Somehow, though, Dave beat him to it. After a beat of silence, their lips still only an inch or so apart, Dave whispered, “ _ Can I tell you a secret? _ ” Klaus didn’t even bother to respond because Dave’s lips were on his again, then Dave murmured: “I love you, Klaus.” 

And suddenly, Dave sat back, rushing to pull his jacket off of him, Klaus, his mind still running ten seconds behind, was struggling to process the words spoken to him. Yes, Dave’s name was on his wrist, but that didn’t mean that the Dave who was sitting in front of him was actually his Dave, in some convoluted way he had convinced himself that the Dave who had just pressed his lips to Klaus’s was actually in love with someone else, his wrist said some equally boring name like Linda, or Mary. 

But Dave finally got his jacket off, and thrust his wrist forward, rubbing off whatever cover-up he had on it to reveal- 

** _KLAUS_ **

Klaus couldn’t resist, a laugh bubbled up through his throat and out of his mouth. He himself scrambled to wrestle what remained of the threadbare bands that once covered up his wrist, but had either fallen off during battle or had become worn through. It wasn’t exactly proper military protocol to be wearing rehab bracelets up at the front lines. 

And underneath them, was the name that once brought Klaus so much dread, so much confusion. Though he would never admit it, the fact that there might actually be someone out there for him- that was more than terrifying. This meant that this person could be a liability, this meant that Klaus might be more than just Number Four, it meant that Klaus could have a life outside of being the  _ Seancé _ , a life outside of the forgotten druggie brother. That was more terrifying than anything else- the mortifying ordeal of being known, as Ben was called it. 

** _DAVE _ **

Dave let out a shuddery gasp when he read the blackened letters. Klaus tensed up when Dave's fingers gently reached out, and traced the name. The cut had turned into a scar long ago, but the skin was still slightly raised, slightly raw. Soulmate marks were supposedly one of the most tender places on the human body. 

Klaus knew that Dave wanted to question it, he knew Dave well enough to know that no question went unanswered, but this wasn't something he wanted Dave to hear. He didn't want his soulmate to know of his doubts, how he came to a place where he had convinced himself that there was a mistake, and the only way to prove that, was to remove the mark itself. It hurt like nothing has ever hurt before, and the occasional phantom pain runs through Klaus's arm. 

Instead, Klaus used his fingers to lift Dave's gaze. Dave's eyes were wide, but hopeful. Happy. They were full of love. 

"I knew it was you. The second I saw you, I knew it." 

"That's a bit of a cliche," Klaus remarked, unable to help himself, but it only made Dave smile, and in the dim light Klaus could see the light blush dusting Dave's cheeks. "But I knew it too." And he did, despite his doubts. 

"I always would cover up my mark, though. Partially because it was a boy's name and..." Dave hesitated, and that is when it dawned on Klaus. 

"Because I have a German name, and you were born in the late 40's." Klaus realized out loud. Dave looked sheepish. 

"I know it isn't that big of a deal, but the boys at school focused a bit more on that than the fact that it was a male's name, which was actually quite progressive of them in some ways-" 

Klaus pressed his lips to Dave's to cut off his rambling, before his fingers found the piece of paper in his pocket.

Although Klaus had tried to block out most of Ben's extensive lessons on soulmate marks, some of the information got through. He knew that when people's soulmates died, their marks fade. To honor their soulmate, people started getting permanent tattoos of their soulmate's name, right where it used to be. It only became popular in the 2000s, so it was a practice that Dave wouldn't understand. 

"Here-" Feeling suddenly nervous, Klaus shoved the pen and paper towards the other man. Dave looked understandably startled by the sudden movement, but took the items. "Write down your name for me- your first and last name."

"Why? Thinking you might forget it?" Dave teased, but immediately complied, writing his name in his own blocky handwriting. 

"Just want to keep a little piece of you with me always," Klaus murmured, watching the curl of Dave's hair, the way that he sat back and inspected his work when he finished writing his name.

That was the thing about Dave- he so easily trusted Klaus, not because he had bad judgement (although that might be up for debate), but because he  _ knew  _ Klaus. 

"Well, convenient for you, you will always have a piece of me," Dave replied confidently, tapping Klaus's soulmate mark. 

And Klaus let himself smile, pushing away the inevitable, always pushing away the inevitable. 

They stayed out late that night, kissing, and being in each other's presence. Eventually, Dave made Klaus sign his name was well, but he clearly didn't understand the point of it, only doing it because Klaus had made him do it first. 

At one point later into the night, Klaus found himself leaning on Dave's chest, smiling down at Dave's face.

His soulmate was never a secretive man- he tended to wear his emotions on his face. Either that, or Klaus could always just easily read his mind. Come to think of it, Klaus preferred the second option, because there was nothing wrong with a little boost to the ego.

But right now, Dave was deep in thought. Klaus hummed, and traced his index finger along Dave's jawline. "What is on your mind?" 

Dave looked momentarily startled out of his thoughts, and then sheepish which only piqued Klaus's interest so much more. "Come on, pretty boy. What are you thinking of?" 

"You haven't said it back-" Dave blurted out after only a moment's hesitation. "Not that it matters, I mean, you can say it whenever you want, I just-" 

Klaus reached up instantly, gently guiding Dave's mouth to his. "I love you." Another surprised giggle left his mouth. "I- I really do fucking love you, Dave." 

And Dave's smile? Klaus wished that he could have that tattooed onto his wrist as well. 

~*~

It took a bit longer for Klaus to tell the full truth, but when he did, he told it in pieces. And somehow, miraculously, Dave took him serious. Even when Klaus told him that he was actually from 2019, Dave nodded solemnly.

"How are you not calling me crazy?" Klaus finally asked. Dave shrugged. 

"I know you wouldn't lie to me. Plus, the whole 'showing up in a flash of light with no military training and in a bath towel' thing led me to believe that there was something else going on.” Now, how could Klaus not lean in and kiss him after that?

He didn't tell him everything, but something told him that Dave knew. There was no good way to explain why there was still a scar over his soulmate mark, there was no good way to explain why Klaus woke up most nights screaming with Ben's name on his lips. But Dave understood. He always did. 

~*~

Klaus never had greeted death with a smile, but that being said he never resented it either. Growing up, the most death he had faced that wasn't via ghosts was watching his siblings take down bank robbers or other kinds of bad guys. 

Then when he was out on the streets, yeah, druggies died all of the time, and people weren't the most sympathetic, and it was hard to mourn someone who you only knew when the both of you were flying high out of your minds. 

And then the war. Of course. At first, the death seemed distant, he hardly knew these people and was too occupied not only trying to stay alive but trying to differentiate between the alive and the dead that there was no time to make connections. Dave, obviously, was the first one to break down his walls, but soon the rest of his fellow soldiers came to follow. 

Instead of spending nights staring at the wall, wondering how he could get his next fix, Klaus started spending nights either hidden in the nearby woods with Dave, or playing cards with his comrades. Suddenly, nights when they were allowed out on the town wasn't a solitary race to find his next high, but time spent dancing in bars and clubs with the men he fought alongside in the front lines. 

But that meant that their deaths were only so much more worse, sometimes he had to reach out and pinch Dave just to make sure he wasn’t a very-corporeal ghost. 

It had all happened in a blur though- when  _ it  _ happened. The first indication that something was wrong was the almost  _ burning  _ pain on his wrist, right where Dave’s name was. 

“ _ Dave?” _ Klaus had nearly shrieked, holding onto his helmet while scrambling over to him. “ _ No-”  _

Everything was all wrong, because although he knew that it  _ was  _ going to end this way, it  _ wasn’t supposed to,  _ Klaus was supposed to move into an apartment with him and own too many cats for someone with a cat allergy, he was supposed to wake up every morning without nightmares, but instead soft kisses on his shoulder, he was supposed to wake up to Dave having already made coffee for the both of them because Dave liked to get up at the ungodly hour of 7 am-

But that won’t happen. 

Because Dave was dead, and Klaus was back in 2019, and his wrist really fucking hurt. Also, the briefcase was still in possession, but he planned on handing that back to Five as soon as fucking possible because it was  _ Five’s  _ fucking fault that he was kidnapped, it was-

Somehow in some weird, convoluted way, it was Five’s fault that Klaus had ever even met Dave.

So, he destroyed the briefcase the second he got off the bus. That was his big ‘fuck you!’ to not only Five but to the assholes who had kidnapped him. Fuck them all. 

The next few days were a haze- but not the high kind that he was used to. The grief often mixed in with guilt, why was the reject druggie who has nothing good with his life and was most likely destined for worse things the one to survive? 

_ No _ , Klaus often tried to remind himself. The one good thing he had done with his life was Dave. Dave was the one shining star in his history or burnouts and blackholes. 

So Klaus lived the next few days not quite there. He followed along where he was needed, yes, he gave his life for dear ol’ Number One-  _ finally, he could see Dave again _ \- but then was surprised with an unfortunate reunion with his father and a harsh jolt back to life. 

And the world didn’t end. Klaus didn’t know if this was a good or bad thing. Ben was unleashed and Five did some wacky time-and-space meddling, and the moon didn’t explode in the end. Or maybe it did- it kind of exploded and then was put back together, Klaus really isn’t the best one to ask about this. Vanya got some hugs, and for the time being, they all moved back into the house which, like the moon, was once exploded but not anymore. 

His siblings tended to still tiptoe around him, maybe not fully believing that he was sober, but Klaus was surprised to see how that type of rejection hurt. Not to be all doom-and-gloom, but Klaus had just assumed that after holding his soulmate’s dead body in his arms, that all pain would simply feel numb in comparison. 

Klaus assumed that everything else would feel numb in comparison. 

And it was hard, not to think about him with every breath that he took. Because every breath that Klaus took was one that Dave wasn’t taking, and Jesus Christ, it all felt wrong. 

So that is why Klaus kept his mouth shut. He didn't say Dave’s name, he didn’t talk about his time in Vietnam, hell, he didn’t even mention the whole kidnapping escapade. 

And no one noticed that anything was wrong. Of course they didn’t- the tremors that was permanently instilled into Klaus’ hands used to be due to drugs instead of fear, his night terrors were nothing new to anyone. 

So yeah. Klaus wasn’t doing that good. Ben knew something was up, because he always did, but Klaus feared the moment he opened his mouth was the moment that everything would slip out of his mouth, including Dave. And he liked to have Dave constantly in his mind, thank you very much.

Two weeks after the not-apocolypse happened (or didn’t happen?), Dave’s name on Klaus’s wrist started to fade. Logically, Klaus knew it would happen, but seeing the constant reminder of Dave start to go dim set a panic in his veins. 

"I need you to drive me-" Klaus said, stumbling into the living room after nearly tumbling down the stairs in his haste. 

"Are you drunk?" Diego asked, which maybe was a logical question. But Klaus had been keeping the paper that Dave had written his name on with him since he got it, and there was no better time to get the tattoo done than now. 

Klaus knew that really, it wasn't fading away right before his eyes, it was a slower process than that, but God, Klaus did not want to lose any more of Dave than he already had to. 

"No, Diego, dearest brother, I am sober. But I do need a ride.” He gave his brother his best puppy dog eyes, and grinned when Diego gave a sigh of defeat. 

“Fine. Where do you need to go?” 

“I will give you instructions as we go.” 

Diego grumbled under his breath, something along the lines of  _ ‘why do I put up with your crazy shit’  _ but Klaus ignored that in favor of bounding out the door and into the car. Ben followed them, sitting in the backseat as Klaus and Diego bickered over the radio.

After that, the car ride was silent aside from Klaus occasionally telling Diego to turn left or right. Soon enough, they arrived in front of a seedy looking tattoo shop, one that any sensible person wouldn’t ever go to.

“Uh- another tattoo?” Diego asked after pulling into a parking spot. Klaus shrugged, and grabbed his bag, making sure he had the money and the paper with him. “What’s it going to be?” 

“None of your worries, dearest brother.” Klaus leaned over the middle console to leave a smacking kiss on Diego’s cheek, making his brother retch loudly. “And don’t worry about picking me up, I’ll just walk home.” 

That must have been the wrong thing to say, because instead of racing out of the parking lot, the second Klaus got out of the car Diego turned it off and got out as well. “What?” Diego asked when Klaus sent him a glare. “I have nothing better to do today.” 

So Klaus led the trio into the tattoo parlor (himself, his menacing brother who was still dressed in his dumbass leather halter, and his other brother, the ghost one) and checked in. Diego looked around anxiously, probably expecting some tattoo needle to be shot at him any second now, so Klaus quickly checked in and sat down. 

"So... What are you getting?" Klaus shot a startled glance at his brother. Usually it was Klaus trying to force some type of awkward small talk, but now it Diego who looked uncomfortable, and when Klaus inspected his brother's face a bit more, he looked worried. "Maybe a foot tattoo now?" 

"Already have one of those." Klaus responded breezily, tapping his fingers on his leg. 

Diego sputtered. "Wh-what? You do?" 

Smirking, because when has Klaus ever passed on the occasion to shock his siblings, Klaus pulled off his shoe and sock. True to his word, there was a little scribble near his heel. 

Diego squinted, but Klaus beat him to it. "It says 'FUCK YOU'. One night I saw one of those lame posters about how God is with you every step of the way, and I thought how fitting it would be to get a little memory, because for us, He wasn't." Oh the irony of that now, after meeting... God. Or the Creator. Whatever you wanted to call that bratty little girl. 

His brother raised an eyebrow. In the distance, Ben floated from chair to chair, inspecting every patron's new ink in his invisible way. "I was also high out of my mind. That helped in the decision-making process." That made Diego laugh, until he pointed at some ink that was peeking out from underneath Klaus's torn off jeans. 

"What about that one?" 

He froze. Diego took that as an invitation, because he gently reached out and tugged Klaus's pant leg up to reveal a simple gun design, along with some Vietnamese characters. 

"Uh-" Klaus stammered, finding himself speechless. "That is a secret for me to keep, dear brother." 

Truth was that he and his comrades had gotten the matching tattoos on one of their very small granted leaves, two months before Dave died. Diego opened his mouth, probably to call out that balant lie and cop-out, but thankfully a red-headed woman came into the lobby. 

"Klaus... Harngroves?" Klaus jumped up. 

"Me! That's me. Also, Hargreeves. No offence, but how hard is Hargreeves?" He jumped headfirst into the chatter, leaving Diego behind him. Ben trailed a few steps behind Klaus, remaining silent. "I'll catch you later, Diego, you don't have to wait for dear ol' me!"

The tattoo? It hurt getting that more than getting tattoos directly onto his fucking hands. First of all, the needle was going directly over a scar that never properly healed, and the ache from losing Dave still was recent (physically and emotionally). The woman doing his tattoo (Who's name was Cheryl, the dear) gave a sympathetic frown when he showed her the design he wanted. 

"How long has it been, if you don't mind me asking?" Klaus winced as the needle went over a particularly tender spot. 

"It... It has been decades but only days at the same time, if that makes sense?" Cheryl nodded. 

"Of course, sweetie. I am so sorry for your loss." Instead of brushing it off like he would love to, Klaus sighed and sat in the pity for a moment. 

"He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. I know that everyone always says that, but I mean it." 

"Where did you meet?" Klaus gave a quiet but sharp bark of laughter. 

"Let's just say I met him when I was not where I was supposed to be... But I stayed for him." 

"And he was good?" She meant good to Klaus, that was obvious, but all Klaus could think about was those nights that they stayed up, and Dave indulged in his thoughts, how badly he didn't want to be fighting this war, how he wanted to be going to school and spending time with his sisters. 

"Oh. He was the best. Truly, the best man I have ever met." 

When Cheryl finally ( _ finally _ ) lifted the needle from his wrist, Klaus nearly cried in relief. "The pain will ease, sweetie. I promise you that. But you will never forget him, now that I am sure of." Klaus wheezed a faint chuckle, the pain still incredibly and surprisingly intense. 

Even more surprising? The fact that Diego was still sitting in his car when Klaus stepped out of the parlor. 

So Klaus got into the car. Because who was he to pass up a free ride? 

~*~

"I think I might kill myself." Klaus mused three days later. Ben looked up, with a bored look on his face. 

"I'd rather you not. Because then I would be so lonely." With his flat tone, it was hard to tell if Ben was being serious or not. He was only moody because after he was summoned, Klaus hasn't been able to do it again, much to everyone's disappointment. 

"No- you would come with me. And we could be with Dave." 

At that, Ben perked up. 

"Dave? Have you been able to summon him at all? I'd really like to meet him, y'know, see the one person who seems to actually be able to tolerate your annoying ass." Klaus flipped him off, but quickly sobered up. 

"No. I haven't gotten a peep from anyone other than lil' ol' granny over there who is mad that her killer got blood stains all over her carpet." Ben smirked. "But- back to my original point, if I kill myself, we can all chill with my beau in heaven. I know God, you know?"

"So you've said."

"So it's a plan, then? Pop a few too many sleeping pills tonight?" Klaus was only joking. Sort of. And Ben knew this well enough to understand this, so he wasn't too worried, although the whole conversation had been enough to make his ghostly brother smile again. Wins all around. 

Except- 

"Klaus? You are going to-" Diego's voice came from behind him, making Klaus shriek and fall off the bar stool. 

"Christ on a cracker, Diego! Don't just sneak up on someone when they are having a conversation with their dearly departed brother!" Ben rolled his eyes- or so Klaus assumed. He couldn't really see from his prone position on the floor. 

"Klaus." Diego's voice was steel. "What were you just talking about?" 

Klaus sighed and picked himself up off of the ground, brushing off the non-existent dirt (nice job on the cleaning, Mom). 

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. I was just talking to Ben." Diego squinted at him, but Klaus really didn't have time for this. "Now, I have to try and set up a date with a dead guy, so I'll talk to you later! Toodles!" Klaus waggled his fingertips, and sprinted out of the room, narrowly avoiding Diego's attempt at a grab for him. "Isn't there some crime to go solve?" He called back behind him. 

"We are talking about this later!" Diego shouted in response, but didn't follow. 

Upstairs, in his room, Klaus collapsed on his bed and sighed. 

"Okay, Dave, we are alone now, you can come out!" He called. Nothing. "Dave? Sweetie-pie? My heart and soul? Bae? I know that you don't know what that last one means, but it's okay, come out and I'll teach you." 

That resulted in- surprise!- a big fat pile of more nothing. 

Maybe Dave was gone for good. Or maybe- maybe he didn't want to come. Maybe he was all done with Klaus, after seeing how fucked up he really is. Or maybe-

No. Klaus couldn't go down this road, not now. Not when Dave was all that he had.

Klaus rubbed his eyes in frustration. Of course this wouldn’t work, when has anything ever gone in his favor? He absentmindedly let his hand drift down to his tattoo. 

His fingers unconsciously traced the letters of his soulmate's name. 

And as Klaus's eyes drifted shut, a slight tingling sensation built up in his arm. And got stronger. And got stronger, until it was an undeniable pain. 

Until there was nothing, but a slight chilling feeling. Klaus's eyes shot open. 

Dave was kneeling on his bedroom floor, gently pressing his lips to Klaus's tattoo. 

"Hello, Klaus." 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i absolutely live off of comments and kudos!  
[here's my davexklaus playlist if yall would like to give it a listen!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1mJBUw9QTr6JvAGqwh0C9S?si=l2jXcqh-TSG8wUGJwaurGg)
> 
> thank you so much for reading :)


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